On May 2, 2019, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) released Examination Guide 1-19. This guide serves as the USPTO’s new policy for reviewing products and services derived from industrial hemp. The Examination Guide clarifies the procedures used by the USPTO to examine marks used in connection with cannabis and cannabis-derived goods and services.…

MACOMB TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — Michigan State Police executed a raid at the home of Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith in Macomb Township, sources confirm to 7 Action News. 7 Investigator Jim Kiertnzer was on the scene and said agents removed surveillance cameras from Smith’s home. The raid is in connection to state police’s investigation…

More than 130 people die every day in the United States from the opioid crisis. The misuse and addiction to opioid medications such as prescription pain relievers, heroin, and synthetic opioids like fentanyl, has more than doubled in the U.S. over the past decade. The problem hits home with Michigan residents. In 2017, there were…

On May 6, 2019, the Illinois Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act was filed in the Illinois state Senate as an amendment to Senate Bill 7. The Act is 523 pages long and proposes to legalize adult-use cannabis in Illinois by January 1, 2020 with licensure of adult-use cannabis businesses starting May 2020. The Act proposes…

Last week, the Texas House passed two limited medical cannabis bills (HB 1365 and HB 3703). Both bills are very limited in scope and have arrived in the Senate, but only HB 3703 has been referred to committee. The Health and Human Service (HHS) Committee promptly scheduled a hearing for the bill, which will happen this Friday, May…

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is taking measures to move the marijuana industry in the state forward by trying to troubleshoot legal issues and supporting federal legislation that would make it easier for weed businesses to bank their money. This week she announced she’s started a legal work group on medical and recreational marijuana issues…